


Domestic Pressures

by JugbandArnold



Category: Amar es para siempre (TV), Luimelia
Genre: Angst, Buddy if I knew what this is I'd tell you, F/F, Fluff, Just me trying to write things
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2019-06-20
Updated: 2020-02-29
Packaged: 2020-05-15 11:06:19
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings, No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 4
Words: 7,510
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/19294474
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/JugbandArnold/pseuds/JugbandArnold
Summary: These two have stolen my heart, and there's nothing I can do about it. I think this is nice, maybe you think so too?This is officially a bunch of one-shots then.





	1. Domestic Pressures - Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

  * For [Ardenkai](https://archiveofourown.org/users/Ardenkai/gifts).



> Hey Ary, I know it's been a long (very long time) but I figured - better late than never!
> 
> For the world's best groupie. :D
> 
> Hey so I have no idea what to do with this ,nor do I know anything remotely Spanish - so apologies for any errors! Also assume all assumptions.
> 
> Also, I don't know episode numbers - but this is set at about the time Amelia is in the hospital with pneumonia. You would think I would have figured out how hospitals work by now but nope - you're just gonna have to assume this is how it is!
> 
>  

 

To say Luisi was distraught was putting it lightly. Seeing Amelia go into that horrible coughing fit while the nurses rushed to her had made the blood drain from Luisi's face and her heart. As the nurses rushed Amelia into an operation room, Luisi could barely stand or control herself. Tears were pouring down her face till she couldn't see through them, and she didn't understand how she managed to get out of the hospital.

When she did go back home and shakingly told her mother and father about what happened, they comforted her all they could. What more could they do? Luisi was grateful for their support - and wanted them to know that, but every time she thought about Amelia the tears would start again. Luisi could barely breathe, as if breathing was an affront to all that Amelia was going through. Her parents did their best to coax her and tried to get Luisi to eat something, but how could she eat when her heart was stuck in her throat anyway. Her gaze was blank, her hands still trembling remembering Amelia's skin, and her mind hitting itself over and over.

"Why did you have to argue with her!"

That was one thing she could not stop blaming herself for; she had argued with the love of her life while she was suffering in the hospital, not even for that short period of time could she control herself.  There was the obvious fact that Amelia was stubborn to the point of overworking herself, but Luisi could not find comfort in that at all. Her mind was half worrying about Amelia and half blaming herself for not being a decent loving girlfriend.

She went over these thoughts with her parents of course, but the most they could say was to not think about that and to focus on Amelia's recovery. Nothing she did consoled her mind - she fretted terribly over Amelia all the time  - all the while knowing that if she had been just a little more patient Amelia would be better already. Her normal explosiveness was now directed at herself, mentally.  The very thought of anything happening to Amelia made her stop breathing, and she went about her days in a mindless funk, barely doing anything at all.  She tried talking about it to Maria, not exactly sure what answer she was looking for there. Maria looked at her kindly and held her hand tight, but also told her that she should have been more patient, after all Amelia was the sick one.

When she got the news that Amelia was back in recovery after a short stint in the ICU, Luisi felt she could breathe normally a bit. Rushing to the hospital with her parents, she knew she had to be more controlled, less wild with her emotions - but seeing Amelia so pale and peaceful she couldn't stop herself. Gently caressing her face, Luisi gave her little speech that made even Marcelino a little teary eyed.  Making sure their daughter and daughter-in-law were okay - Marcelino and Manolita left her to keep Amelia company through the night - they knew it would be impossible to convince her that Amelia was just asleep, and she could come here again in the morning. They also felt it would help her feel better. Devoción was arriving the next morning, and they were hopeful for Amelia's recovery after hearing the nurse's feedback.

After her parents left, Luisi sank into the chair next to Amelia's bed and starred at Amelia - softly breathing and sound asleep. It was a relief knowing that Amelia would be better now - but the part of her mind that was blaming herself for everything would not stop. She couldn't sleep at all; she didn't even try to - just being close to her love would do for now. Luisi was awake through the night, and she watched keenly as the nurse checked up on her girlfriend - noting the care and gentleness in her actions with envy. Eventually when her body was exhausted, she fell asleep on the chair, as uncomfortable as she was.

* * *

 

When Amelia opened her eyes, it took her a minute to remember where she was exactly. Her body was drained, mentally she felt completely exhausted and she had no energy at all. She slowly turned a bit to see Luisi slumped in her chair, her breathing shallow. She remembered arguing with Luisi and was immensely surprised that the last thing she remembered was her somehow winning that argument. Amelia softly huffed at that - she could never ever win an argument with Luisi - it was impossible. Luisi stirred hearing Amelia and seeing she was awake immediately rushed to her side.

"Darling -" was all Amelia managed before Luisi pulled her into a deep kiss. She could feel Luisi's struggled breathing and desperation as Luisi gave her a few more kisses before clutching her face.

"You scared me so much." Luisi softly whispered, and hearing that was what made Amelia realize that perhaps her condition was not so trivial as she had liked to think. She saw Luisi's worried face and with all her energy brought her hand to grasp Luisi's hand, which was holding her face.

"I am so sorry for arguing with you that day, I know I should have been patient." Luisi began, when the nurse walked in to check on Amelia, and she quickly stood up in order to not give anything away.

When the nurse was done with her evaluation of Amelia's condition the two of them were alone again. By now Amelia had regained some of her energy - and was surprised that Luisi of all people was apologizing to her, for arguing. She saw Luisi's sour gaze at the nurse and was slightly amused.

"What are you talking about?" Amelia asked, reaching out to Luisi to make her sit on the bed beside her. Luisi sat down and took Amelia's hand in hers, gently playing with her fingers.

"I was waiting for you to yell at me and tell me I was an idiot for being so careless." Amelia smiled. She loved trying to argue with Luisi, knowing completely that she had no way in hell of winning. She remembered vividly arguing with Luisi the time they both were to dine with Manolita at Kings, and she remembered losing that argument very poorly. Not that she minded, she loved the passion behind Luisi's headstrong urges, the way she gave herself completely into her next mission and most of all - loved knowing that it all came from a place of love.

"I should have been gentler and more sensitive with you." Luisi gravely said, her head bent and looking away from Amelia. Amelia mentally sat up hearing that, wondering where Luisi got that notion. She considered the sour look Luisi gave the nurse and she was very confused about her next sentence - but she knew she had to ask.

"Darling - you're not jealous of the nurse - are you?" Amelia laughed slightly and Luisi did her best and shook her head, but Amelia knew better. She laughed seeing Luisi's lips pout, blonde curls shaking as Luisi tried to deny it.

"Luisi - listen to me." Amelia began, taking her girlfriend's hands and holding them tight.

"I actually thought our argument was a dream because it didn't feel right that I won that argument." she went on, and Luisi sighed.

"I'm stubborn and I need someone like you to argue with me when I do stupid things. And I love you for it."

"So, you don't want to be with someone who's kind and sweet?" Luisi shyly asked, pouting. Amelia laughed again.

"No, I want someone who will argue with me, even when I'm dying." Amelia joked, and Luisi smiled and made a show of pulling her hand away, but Amelia held on.

"And if you don't think you're the kindest and sweetest person I know - I will always argue back." she finished, bringing Luisi's hands to her lips and gave them a long kiss.

Luisi finally felt easy in her heart and looked at Amelia with such love and her heart feeling full.

"Now, why don't you give me a kiss, or should I ask the nurse for that?" Amelia teased, and Luisi felt like her old self once again, after what felt like ages.

"Ask the nurse - pfft. Just try that and see what happens." Luisi retorted, pulling her hands away, only to grab Amelia's face and give her a sweet kiss.

 


	2. Domestic Pressures - Chapter 2

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Set at the time when Amelia's to be performing at Cleofás for the first time. Do the timelines clash? I'm sorry if they do? Please assume the timeline works? Assume all assumptions as always. Apologies for all errors and thank you for all your comments. :D

 When Amelia told Luisi that she didn't want her to see her first Cleofás performance on the big stage, Luisi was understandably disappointed, but she didn't argue. She could see how important this was to Amelia, besides - she would be there to see the even more extravagant Saturday night show instead of the Friday night one -so she acquiesced. Amelia grinned and gave her a tight hug before leaving to get ready for her debut show and Luisi mentally decided to stay up and wait for Amelia to get back and tell her all about her performance.

Amelia was sincere when she said she didn't want Luisi to see her debut performance - but she wasn't exactly sure why. Of course, she was going to be nervous - this was the culmination of her dreams and if anything went wrong it would most certainly break her heart - but it wasn't a reason for Luisi to not be there - all the more reason for the contrary actually. Perhaps she was in a twisted way worried that Luisi would see her exceedingly nervous - and she didn't want that. The normal nerves before a show at Kings was something she could manage - but this she needed to do herself. Maybe she subconsciously understood that her confidence would be better after the premiere show - and it would be easier that way. On some level, she realized that she didn't want Luisi to see the effort it took her to be who she was - and it would be easier to do that on the second show than the first one. Whatever the reason - the conclusion was the same - Amelia didn't want Luisi to see her debut performance.

Getting ready for the show with hair and makeup - she was casually chatting up the other dancers - most of whom were more experienced than her and she could feel the pressure mounting. She would be lying if she said she didn't wish her Luisita was here - with her earnest gaze and her naive manner - just the very thought of her calmed Amelia down considerably. As the curtains rose for the show - she couldn't stop herself from searching the audience for blonde curls and the biggest smile - hoping against hope that Luisi had managed to come to the show somehow in her usual endearing way. Amelia could make out Jesús and others amongst the crowds - but when she couldn't find Luisita her heart sank a little.

Unsurprisingly the performance was a dazzling success, and the applause and cheers that went around the auditorium were positively deafening - but Amelia felt a bit disconnected from the scene, though she couldn't fathom why. After the performance was over - everyone was invited to drinks at the afterparty - and Amelia didn't want to go to that at all, though she knew she had to. Seeing her co-performers hugging their boyfriends and husbands tight as they were being congratulated succeeded in making Amelia feeling more detached.

Amelia didn't talk to anyone much during the afterparty - save the polite thanks to all the people congratulating her on a stunning debut. Her mind went back to telling Luisi to not come to the show, and she tried to pick apart her thought processes that led to that decision. It was pretty late now  - and Amelia was half dying to see Luisi and half dreading to see her. She tried to put on a confident face as she opened the Gomez’s apartment door, not entirely sure if she had it on properly. She knew it was late and that everyone would be asleep by now - but she didn't expect to see Luisi sitting on the couch sound asleep, a book half open on her lap. Amelia smiled seeing this, closing the door softly behind her.  She crept softly to the couch and gently removed the book from Luisi's lap, which woke her up.

"Hi! Oh, I fell asleep, I was waiting for you to come back. How was your performance?" Luisi immediately began, stretching to yawn and her voice heavy with sleep.

"It was good." was all Amelia could manage as she sat down next to Luisita, suddenly realizing how tired she really was.

"I'm sure it was amazing." Luisi went on, shifting as Amelia wrapped her arms around her, resting her head on Luisi's chest. Amelia hummed in reply, taking in a deep breath.

"What's wrong? You don't sound very happy." Luisi asked, slightly confused seeing Amelia's dull reaction. She was still sleepy, and she gently rubbed Amelia's arm, almost drifting off again.

"You should have been there. "

Luisi woke up hearing that, mildly indignant. She didn't understand why Amelia would say that - especially after it was she who asked her not to come - but whether it was the sleepiness or Amelia so sweetly wrapped around her, Luisi decided to not explode in her usual anger and tried to probe a bit.

"Amelia - why didn’t you want me to come?" Luisi questioned, not rudely or impatiently - but as plainly as she could ask. She could feel Amelia stiffen a bit; she could feel her try repeatedly to say something, but no words came. After a short silence Amelia sighed heavily - wondering if the words she said made sense.

"I don't know Luisita, I don't know. Maybe - Maybe I wanted to prove that I could do it by myself. That I would now deserve it." she huffed in a tone indicating finality, but Luisi was slightly startled hearing what she said. For a whole beat, Luisi was dumbfounded at that answer - not sure at all what Amelia meant.

"Deserve? Deserve what?" she asked softly - curiosity evident in her voice.

Amelia took a long time considering this question, to the point where Luisi thought she was asleep.

"All this? You? My life? The job?" Amelia slowly trailed off, snuggling in and drifting off.

Luisi was immensely surprised at this and was going to shake Amelia awake and ask her more about that - when she stopped to  look intently at Amelia curled up into her side.  For a second - Amelia almost reminded her of a small child. Her mind instantly thought of Amelia as a little girl, growing up with her parents as she did. It suddenly struck her that growing up - Amelia probably felt loved and self-secure only when she did something she thought was deserving of it - and her heart immediately twisted of the thought that Amelia probably still felt that way. Amelia rarely spoke of her childhood - understandably - and this late night had brought Luisi to see a part of Amelia she kept safely guarded. She also understood that if she probably pushed her luck, Amelia would brush it all off again.

Luisi saw how intricate the feelings Amelia were having were - but she was in no way capable of dealing with them. To shake Amelia awake and assure her that there was nothing Amelia needed to do to 'deserve' her was all fine, but Luisi knew Amelia. She would listen and smile and kiss her and tell her to not worry about it, and that would be all. She had no idea what exactly to do to resolve this, and absent-mindedly glanced at the clock and saw that it was very late indeed.

"Amelia - we have to go to bed, come on." she softly woke Amelia and the two of them silently walked to the bedroom. Amelia was  exhausted to the point where she barely dressed in her nightclothes and fell on the bed. Luisi climbed into bed and soon the two women where fast asleep - Amelia wrapped up in Luisi's arms. 

* * *

 

When Amelia woke up the next morning, she saw that Luisi was already awake and sitting up next to her, smoking a cigarette.

"Good morning." she hummed, and Luisi replied likewise.

Amelia shifted and turned to face Luisi, who looked determined and almost annoyed. Amelia put on her best smile and was ready to grovel.

"I'm sorry I told you not to come yesterday."  Amelia began, and Luisi puffed on her cigarette.

"It was stupid - "

"You're right - it was stupid. And hereafter I'm going to come to every single one of your premiere shows ever." Luisi stated in that determined tone of hers, eyes narrowing and gesturing with the cigarette still in her hand, Amelia however could see that Luisi wasn't as stern as she was making herself be. She sat up, giving Luisi a quizzical look, and Luisi nodded vigorously.

"And if you think of telling me not to  - you'll get Florinda's shoes in your face." Luisi finished with a flourish, and Amelia laughed.

"I wouldn't want that at all." she replied, looking at Luisi's stubborn face she laughed again.

"Come here." Amelia said, grabbing Luisi's face with both her hands, and giving her a quick kiss.

"Thank you." Amelia whispered, and Luisi smiled, pleased with herself.

"I'll see you tonight?"

"Of course." Amelia answered, finally feeling the joy she was looking for last night.

"You're going to be the best dancer of them all!" Luisi firmly declared and Amelia laughed again.

"I think you're a little partial, darling." she grinned and Luisi shook her head.

"Well, I'm going to take some of Florinda's shoes, in case anyone disagrees with me."

Amelia chuckled at the idea, but she knew Luisi was quite capable of doing what she said.

"You're crazy."

"For you."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Why did I write this? I don't know. If you figure it out, let me know - coz I wanna know. Does this make sense even? Does this - wow why am I this anxious.


	3. Chapter 3

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Sorry I haven't written in 84 years. Apparently getting a master’s degree is a lot of work - who knew.   
> Assume all assumptions. Canon is a dumpster fire where the dumpster itself is on fire so let's disregard that for this. I'm not sure of the timing of this - so again assume all assumptions por favor :)Let's see this is for the Duchess of Wales who ordered an 'Insomnia' with a side of not-too much angst.   
> Prompt:  
> " I'm a headcase if I don't keep moving  
> And my head hurts if I don't sit still  
> It's an itch that I'll never stop scratching  
> It's a hole that I'll never quite fill"

Luisi smiled at Amelia in that shy way of hers as she went about the room. They were staying at Marce and Manolita's ever since Amelia recovered from her session at the hospital. The whole experience had left them stranded and with nowhere to go; they had been living there for about two months. The room itself was tiny and certainly not big enough for two people, and they hadn't complained at the beginning - but as time passed, the situation was definitely getting a lot more difficult to deal with.

"Come here." Amelia pleaded and Luisi was stunned by Amelia's audacity.

"Amelia - no! My father will be home anytime", Luisi retorted while cleaning about the room. Amelia frowned in response, and Luisi had no choice but to give in. Shaking her head at Amelia, she bent down to give Amelia a quick kiss, but Amelia wasn't going to let her go easily. Just as the kiss was intensifying, they heard the front door open - and Luisi broke the kiss in exasperation.

"We NEED to get our own apartment." she groaned, and Amelia laughed at her, nodding. 

"Yes darling, we really do." she replied, giving Luisi another quick kiss before she went to greet her father.

Amelia lay awake that night, her arms wrapped around Luisi and gently playing with Luisi's soft curls. Luisi was fast asleep - Amelia knew she was quite exhausted every day from working at Asturiano and King's - and every night Luisi fell asleep almost instantly. She could hear the sounds of someone walking to the living room - Manolita probably to get something. Amelia took a deep breath and glanced at Luisi; her features vaguely distinguishable in the darkness. She sighed, thinking of all those happy nights they had spent in their old apartment. It would take a lot of money to get another apartment - and Amelia had just managed to get back her job at Cleofás a week ago. It would take a long time till they had saved up enough money to even consider a new apartment - and Luisi's time was already stretched quite thin. Feeling Luisi hold her tighter in  her sleep - Amelia realized she had to do something. She wondered if there was a way to get extra shows or something at Cleofás - and decided to look into it.

* * *

Amelia rushed to Kings, excited to share with Luisi the news. Four extra shows a week meant that she would have to work a lot more, but it also meant a considerable amount of money. Now it would be only a few weeks till she would manage to save up enough money to rent an apartment. Approaching the bar, she saw Luisi serving a rather overbearing man who so obviously flirting with her she cringed. Luisi was being her normal self, and Amelia stepped up to the bar to get Luisi's attention.

"Hi!" Amelia said, removing her purse and setting it on the bar.

"Hi! What are you doing here?" Luisi smiled, already fixing a drink for Amelia, relieved that Amelia rescued her. The man didn't budge at all and was still leaning forward in the most repulsive manner - which in his head was supposedly charming.

"I wanted to tell you something." Amelia replied - feeling a little uncomfortable with sharing the news with Luisi now. The man who apparently either was too stupid to take the hint or too self-assured to give in - held out his hand and introduced himself.

"Hi - I'm Mateo" he mentioned, and Amelia had no choice but to shake his hand limply and give a fake smile. Before she could say anything back - he went back to talking to Luisi, who was too sweet to shake him off. He went on obviously showing off to Luisi - and Amelia felt considerably disgusted at this display of machismo. Amelia knew Luisi was being her normal self as she would be to any patron of the bar, and she was familiar with men who were oblivious to everything but themselves - but this guy took it to a whole new level. By the end of his one-sided tirade - she was half enraged at this man's brashness and half sorry for Luisi to bear with this. After he left, Luisi heaved a loud sigh and Amelia shook her head as she finished her drink.

"What did you want to tell me?" Luisi asked, tiredly leaning against the bar.

"We're going to start rehearsals for a new show at Cleofás - so it's going to be longer days of work now -" Amelia began and before she could finish Luisi interrupted her.

"Amelia - I don't want you to overwork yourself like last time" Luisi began, her voice soft and worry coming over her face. Amelia quickly put her hand on top of Luisi's and held it tight, to reassure her.

"Luisita, darling, I promise I won't be that stupid again, okay?" she reassured her, and Luisi looked at her for a minute and sighed, mentally resolving to look out for Amelia better this time. Amelia smiled at her, deciding to let the extra money she would be getting be a surprise for Luisi.

* * *

Amelia sat at the table at Asturiano, drinking her coffee and staring at Luisi and Mateo. The guy in his usual oblivious fashion had sat himself at their table - to discuss something with Luisi. It had been a few weeks now - and Amelia throughout this time had been planning out quite a big surprise for Luisi, and was excited, even though she was bone-tired from all the shows. Things had become really hectic for the past few weeks and she felt that she hadn't seen Luisi at home much and every time she had seen Luisi outside - Mateo was never far. The man reminded her of a cartoon caricature, and she knew Luisi was more than capable of handling herself but sometimes she really wished the man dead. Amelia had put her frustration into her work, and now it was close to her final reveal.

Amelia didn't realize she was staring at Luisi with the most lovelorn gaze and when she finally came back to the present, she excused herself from the table and went to the bar, dying to get away from the guy's chatter and overall annoying presence.

"Some people just never learn, eh?" Pelayo commented as he was serving a plate.

"I can't blame him though, who wouldn't love Luisita." Amelia replied, looking back at them. "And she's too sweet to break his heart."

"I'm glad to see you're not jealous or anything."

"Jealous? Of him? Ay no Pelayo. I do wish he would leave us alone in the mornings at least." Amelia sighed, still looking back at Luisi.  Pelayo chuckled seeing Amelia so smitten.

"How is the plan going?"

"Well - I hope I can tell her everything soon. Don't get me wrong Pelayo - I love living with you and Marce -" and Pelayo waved her off.

"I know, I know - you two girls deserve a place to call your own." he stated, and she smiled.

"Luisita deserves everything beautiful in the world. Really." Amelia sighed, still staring lovelorn at Luisi.

"He must be really stupid if he can't make out from your face now how much you love her." Pelayo laughed and Amelia turned to Pelayo, embarrassed.

"I'm not that bad." she replied defensively and Pelayo agreed.

"Not as bad as her." he finished, laughing again as he went back to the kitchen. Amelia turned back and saw that Luisi was now staring at her lovingly and ignoring anything else that was happening. Amelia smiled back at her biting her lip, thinking of her plan. She joined Luisi back at table- and Luisi was quick to grab Amelia's hand under the table, playing with it gently which only made her smile at her more, tuning out the guy's rambling to background noise.

Getting the apartment was no easy feat, she managed to rent a room in the same building as Benigna's - who had put in a good word for her. It was the top floor, so it meant more privacy from the windows - and was a bit cheaper. The apartment itself was quite small with an old mattress and a few chairs still there. It was a little smaller than their previous apartment - but when Amelia saw the bare apartment, she could hardly stop her tears. She slowly walked around the small rooms, and she could see it all. All the evenings they would spend there in each other's company and no one else's, the sweet nights they would share, the morning kisses. Luisita loudly describing her day every evening, gesturing while her hair shook back and forth, her exasperation with everything that would interrupt their quiet lives, the doorbell and the phone, Luisi walking around in her usual purposeful manner, laughing, joking, teasing, arguing, sighing, gesturing - vibrant, playful, intense and everything so indescribably Luisi. She smiled at the room as she saw their lives unfold in her mind, and she knew she couldn't keep this from Luisi any longer. She would have loved to wait till she managed to get some furniture or anything to the apartment, but she knew her heart was already on the verge of bursting. This was everything she dreamt off materializing before her eyes, her whole body was shaking with excitement and she couldn't wait to share it anymore. She hurried back to Marce and Manolita's apartment and told Pelayo everything - who agreed to somehow get Luisi to go to the apartment. She told Marce in a hurry; he was a little heartbroken to learn about this - but he gave her his blessing. So here she was in the apartment again, putting some sheets Benigna had loaned her over the dusty chairs and the mattress. Amelia told herself that they were wiser and would be more careful and this time it would be more beautiful than the first. Now all she had to do was wait for Luisi.

* * *

Luisi was quite confused by her grandfather stubbornly asking her to get a book from a random friend she had never heard off before, but she decided to get it over with quickly. Ringing the doorbell, she shifted a bit, and the surprise that caught her when she saw Amelia open the door was beyond words.

"Come in." Amelia said smiling so hard, beckoning a very surprised Luisi into the house.

"Amelia?? What are you doing here?" Luisi exclaimed, surprise evident on her face as she stepped into the apartment. Amelia softly shut the door behind her as Luisi stepped into the living room - taking in the place.

"Well, if you like it - this is our apartment."

"What?!" Luisi exclaimed, overcome with surprise and love. Amelia nodded.

"It's a bit small I think, and we have to get furniture and everything - also I don't know if Marcelino has another spare TV but - " Amelia rambled without realizing, but was cut short by Luisi all but jumping into her arms, kissing her hard.

"Are you serious?" Luisi asked again, holding Amelia tight, and Amelia smiled in reply.

"Yes darling, I've paid for the lease and the first month's rent and - " She was cut off again by another passionate kiss from Luisi.

"WHY didn't you tell me anything! I would have helped with the money." Luisi began, sounding louder than normal in the empty room. Amelia shook her head at that and try to stop Luisi in the middle of her rant.

"Luisita - listen to me." and Luisi stopped, tilting her head waiting for Amelia's explanation.

"Luisita, you deserve everything amazing in the world and this is the least I can do after everything you've done for me."

Luisi blushed a bright red, shaking her head at Amelia.

"Amelia - "

"You are the woman of my life and the best thing that's ever happened to me and -" Luisi really couldn't bear all this sweetness and gave Amelia another kiss.

"It's still silly that you didn't tell me." she shook her head.

"So, do you like it?" Amelia asked, stepping back and dragging Luisi around the house to show it to her. "I thought we could put the sofa there, and your books on this shelf here and -"

"Amelia - I don't care about all that." Luisi said softly, pulling Amelia in for a hug, wrapping her hands around the brunette's neck.

"I just want you, and only you." and hearing that Amelia's already full heart was overjoyed.

The two of them somehow unsurprisingly ended up on the old mattress and spent the night in their new apartment.

The next morning Luisi woke up first and smiled seeing Amelia still fast asleep. Getting up as gently as she could without disturbing Amelia - she went to see the apartment properly. The apartment looked much more welcoming in the morning light and she smiled to herself  at the thought of living there. She did feel hungry and considered sneaking out to Asturiano to get some food for both of them - but she didn't want Amelia waking up alone on the first day in their house, so she decided against it. After taking in the house, she slipped into the bedroom once again and quietly sat down next to Amelia who was still asleep. Carefully she brushed aside a strand of hair that was on her sleeping face, and softly caressed Amelia's cheek with the back of her fingers. Amelia looked so peaceful in her sleep, her hair tousled and mouth slightly agape. Luisi bent down to give Amelia the gentlest of kisses, as she had for every day. Amelia normally stirred a bit before sleeping on - but this morning Amelia woke up at the feeling of Luisi's gentle kiss, much to her amusement.

"Good morning, darling." Amelia began, stretching as she yawned.

"You never woke up before" Luisi frowned playfully and Amelia was surprised.

"Before?"

"I give you a kiss every morning stupid." Luisi explained, and Amelia smiled so hard at that. Oh, her heart. She sat up slightly to give Luisi a kiss.

"Beautiful." she smiled, as she gave her another quick peck.

"Okay, I'm going to go get some breakfast from the diner" Luisi began, getting up from the bed and Amelia frowned.

"Noooo - wait I'll come with you." 

"Amelia - you've already done so much - I'm going to get breakfast." Luisi decided firmly and Amelia shook her head.

"Give me another kiss at least."

Luisi feigned annoyance, but she couldn't deny her love like that, so she bent down to give Amelia a kiss. As she did Amelia pulled Luisi down on top of her, and Luisi squealed in surprise.

"Amelia!"

"2 minutes and then we'll both go." she promised, as Luisi kissed the side of Amelia's jaw.

"It feels like a dream." Amelia whispered and Luisi hummed in reply.

"Our house." she responded; her voice muffled as her face was buried in Amelia's neck.

"Our life."

The two girls soon got up and were ready to head to the diner. Luisi was not wasting any time - planning out loud how to set up the new apartment as quickly as possible - and pretty much threatening Amelia that she would pay for the furniture and everything. As the girls headed out,  they took a look back at the house before closing the door.

_Made it to the dream. Now to live it._

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> If you noticed - this has no angst. This is because canon is a dumpster fire and thinking of angst would definitely make me self-combust. Apologies, Duchess. I'll write more angst in the future; te prometo. Also feedback please please.


	4. Little Lion Man

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> I'm in a dark place right now - and I have been told I can be angsty at times. Consider yourself warned. I don’t normally write like this, I don’t know. Assume Sebastian doesn't know who Amelia is. Set in 1984 I guess. Assume all assumptions.

_He's gonna look at her. He's gonna smile at her. He's gonna brush her hair aside. He's gonna kiss her. He's gonna kiss her hard. He's gonna undress her-_

Amelia stopped her thoughts there. No need for those thoughts. Of course Luisi had to invite her for dinner at home with Sebastian, she's sweet like that. And Amelia had done all she could to avoid that ordeal the past few years, but she knew Luisi would not let her go that easy. On an underlying level - this almost felt like Luisi's victory dinner, an obvious opportunity for Luisi to show that she had won, and now Amelia was the loser here.  No, she's not that mean. Amelia told herself. This was Luisi being the obvious sweet person she was. Her mind went back to her previous train of thoughts. Why was she thinking about those things? Perhaps thinking of Sebastian and Luisi together, picturing them in her mind would help control her emotions, help her tackle this meal. Well, by extension of that logic Amelia was quite prepared for them to fuck right before her eyes. She had no right to feel this way though. It had been 8 years, she had absolutely no right to feel this way. Times had changed, things had happened, people forgave, forgot and moved on. Absolutely everything rushed past her, for Amelia was rooted at the exact same spot. The year was no more than a number to her, it didn’t represent time that had passed, opportunities that had been missed, feelings that had changed, circumstances that had come to be. Between Paris and Madrid and the changing entertainment scene, it hardly ever felt like time had passed. To say 8 years had passed and that Amelia shouldn’t be feeling this way felt unfair. But time goes on, and whether she acknowledged it or not – life went on too. So Luisi was now married to Sebastian. And had been for 4 years. And most people would agree that that was long enough, but for Amelia it felt like yesterday. It truly did. She was in Paris when she heard the news from Marce, Luisi herself had invited her to the wedding on the phone, and she had smiled but declined. And Luisi had always told Amelia to stop by, to catch up or anything but Amelia couldn’t. Telling herself that she was busy building a career, her dream career  - she carefully turned down Luisi’s previous requests, but she knew she couldn’t do it forever. So here she was, thinking thoughts she didn’t want to, for a meal she didn't want. She sighed, squared up her shoulders, made sure her dress was alright and rang the doorbell. A few seconds later, Sebastian – still in his uniform - opened the door and Amelia put on her best fake smile as he beckoned her in.

He took her coat and told her that Luisi was just here and she had just gone to the kitchen for a second. She nodded and mentioned it’s not a problem at all and looked around to take in the cozy little house. It wasn’t Marce and Manolita’s place – but it did have the same vibe of warmth and homeliness . Amelia looked around the room and her gaze immediately fell on the photographs on the wall, various pictures of Luisi and her family, Sebastian and his – and finally she noticed the wedding picture. It was a beautiful picture – Amelia had to stop herself from audibly gasping and grabbing the photograph off the wall. When she was – well – when she was dating Luisi, she had never even dreamed of seeing Luisi in a wedding dress – and here right in front of her – was Luisi as the blushing bride. Not her bride – but she was still a sight to behold. Sebastian was trying his best to make small talk – but it all sounded like ringing in Amelia’s ear anyway. She almost reached out to touch the photograph when she heard a familiar voice from behind her.

Amelia first caught sight of Luisi in the reflection off the glass from the photograph, and Amelia would have given anything for Luisi to just remain in her mind as she had known her – proud, stubborn and decided – her Luisi. She would have liked to not turn around – but she had already seen her in the glass, and there was no saving the illusion now, might as well turn around. There was a beat between when Amelia saw Luisi for the first time in a long time, and Luisi’s greeting. She took in Luisi’s new hairstyle – long and prettily styled, angelic almost. Luisi looked a little older, perhaps a bit tired – but Amelia had forgotten that to her Luisi would always be light – pure light.

“Well, well – look who finally made it.” Luisi beamed, pulling Amelia in for a big hug. To Amelia – it felt like home. Not that the hug was comforting in itself – but Amelia had always told herself that home would feel like a hug from Luisi, that warmth of feeling loved, the warmth that you feel when you came home after a rainy day – that was what Amelia had deluded herself into feeling. That would be her undoing, perhaps attaching the warmth of home to something in the future would have been more prudent, but Amelia was quite firmly rooted in the past.

“I thought there would be a crowd of newspaper reporters outside” Luisi began – in her endearing manner, breaking the hug and dragging Amelia to the dining table. Amelia almost felt hurt at the small talk. It almost felt like an insult – like she was just an old friend. Amelia couldn’t find words if she tried, nor did she care for any awkward silences. All this felt surreal, a dream, a nightmare, a rumination of a tortured mind – and she was a spectator here – not a participant. She smiled and nodded and spoke empty words and constantly felt like someone was hitting her on the head with a bat. After Luisi spoke her piece – she scampered off to get the food and beckoned to Sebastian to help her. Amelia would have offered to help but she was dazed and breathless as it is. Sitting alone at the dining table – she tried to pace herself, to take in all this information was a lot, the best she could hope for was to shove it in and deal with it later. She overheard some muffled words, it sounded something along the lines of a mild disagreement and – oh of course her mind ran with it. Was Luisi okay? Was Sebastian taking care of her properly? Maybe they weren’t so happily married after all? Maybe she didn’t love him after all? These twisted thoughts took over her mind – but needless to say – they did calm her a bit. The two did appear out of the kitchen carrying various vessels of food – but clearly, they had some disagreement of some sort. Amelia bit her lip to stop herself from smiling. It felt cruel. Soon enough the food was served – and Sebastian was again attempting to make small talk.

“So – Luisi told me – you used to be a vedette at Kings.”, he began, an honest attempt to try to talk to Amelia – and she had no choice to nod and smile. Luisi – who was not hiding her discomfort - gruffly told Sebastian that she had spoken about Amelia to him a lot, just as he was about to take a bite of his food. As she did – she reached out her hand to unbutton the shirt cuff on his sleeve and folded it back. Amelia noted that action with all her focus. She had never considered that love could take forms beyond her imagination, and this small – almost instinctive action almost choked her. It also made obvious to Amelia – that Luisi truly was not hers anymore. Maybe she had been in the past – but not anymore. Her mind went back to his statement, to being a vedette, to the beginning. Her dreams had looked so big then – to become a big star, to have enough money for everything her heart wanted – and she had done all that and now here she was – envying this simple man and his life. What good were dreams when they didn’t feel like home. She shook her head and decided to not wax philosophical now. She smiled at Sebastian and continued to make small talk – an easy coziness to fake.

Dinner was done, and Amelia had offered, almost begged to leave – but Luisi insisted she stay back for a cup of coffee. Sebastian had to step out for something for a bit, and the two of them were alone in the house now. She was in the kitchen now, leaning against the counter and listening to Luisi talk about random things. Amelia felt uncomfortable – she folded her arms and shrugged at all that Luisi was talking. They were all random things – Marce’s new TV, Manolita now working at another hotel and other trivialities. Amelia wished Luisi would atleast acknowledge her now – as a past lover, a past possibility – but Luisi did nothing of that sort. She continued on in her manner – carrying on as if Amelia could have been anyone she had known. It stung, but Amelia was getting used to it. She looked at Luisi – and considered things for a second. Did she still love her? Maybe, on a miniscule level – but Amelia could see the predominant emotion she was feeling was less love and more regret at the way life had dealt her her cards. She really couldn’t complain, her hard work had certainly paid off in a professional sense, but as with all things professional – there was the sense of contentment that was lacking. Looking at Luisi, happy – she considered if she would have been happier if she had stayed with Luisi, fought through all the hard times, the prejudice, the stigma. Amelia isn’t sure if she would have been happier – but the possibility that she could have been is what gets to her. And especially when’s she standing here, looking at Luisi – her guiding light, her guardian angel – it’s easy to tell herself that things would have been worth it if she had stayed.

“Luisita - ” Amelia calls out, unsure of what exactly she wanted to say. Luisi turned around and looked at her expectantly – not a hint of spite or regret on her face. Amelia stops to think about what she going to say – and then for the first time that evening, smiles genuinely at Luisi.

“Thank you for tonight, it was wonderful”. Amelia lies, her smile however sincere. Ah the lies people tell each other, the truths we rather not admit. But this moment – of standing in Luisi’s home, looking at her make coffee – felt like the sincerest moment she had lived in ages.

Luisi smiled sweetly in reply, turning back to the stove.

Soon enough, it was time for Amelia to leave, and she bid both of them goodbye, with fake promises to meet each other more often, and tight hugs that convey the truth that this could be goodbye for a long time. Amelia stepped out the door, and as she did, she turned back to smile at Luisi. Luisi was gently closing the door behind her, and she was smiling at Sebastian – who was out of Amelia’s sight. As the door shut, Amelia turned back and made her way back to her hotel. The door was shut now, and she could either move on, open other doors in life – move along with all the other things in her life. Or she could forget this evening ever happened and live on in the cold comfort that she had lived in for the past years. It was a chilly night – the mild warmth from her cold comfort would have to do.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Why? I guess I process my bitter experiences by making shitty art. Yeah, I know this is not going to get any comments, it doesn't matter anymore. No one cares. No one even considered it a relationship, least of all me. And now she's married to him now.

**Author's Note:**

> Let me know if this should go on, or how for that matter.


End file.
